01 / UNDERSTAND
Your design brief
Your school club needs a tag that is easy to recognise. Design for a real or imagined club member: an 80 × 30 mm tag, rounded corners, a hanging hole and a short, readable label.
What you will learn
- Make a drawing to specified dimensions.
- Explain the difference between a radius and a diameter.
- Use feedback from the intended user to improve one feature.
You will need: Forma in a browser, paper, a ruler and a partner. No machine is needed for the drawing and evaluation.
02 / EXPLORE
Make it in Forma
Menu names refer to the current browser edition. On a touchscreen, use Properties to show the inspector. A keyboard is helpful for exact dimensions.
Ask before you draw
Ask your partner what the tag should identify and how they would attach it. Sketch two ideas. Agree three criteria, including size and readability. Avoid personal contact details on the tag.
Check: Keep both sketches and circle the idea you chose.
Set up the sheet
Save any existing project first. Choose File → New drawing and name it “Tag version 1”. In File → Drawing setup, use millimetres, A4 landscape and drawing scale 1:1.
Check: The sheet is 297 × 210 mm and the displayed unit is mm.
Make the outer shape
Choose Draw → Exact geometry. Select Rectangle; enter X 40, Y 40, Width 80, Height 30 and Corner radius 4. Choose Create. The width field is labelled “Width / length / circle radius”.
Check: Select the rectangle: its width and height should be 80 and 30 mm.
Make a hanging hole
Open Exact geometry again. Select Circle; enter centre X 48, Y 55 and circle radius 2.5 in the width/radius field. Create it. Click empty space, select the rectangle first, then Shift-click the circle. Choose Modify → Subtract shapes.
Check: The hole is 5 mm across. It is a boundary in the tag, not a filled dot.
Add a clear label
Use Draw → Text and choose regular Abel for lettering that can be outlined in the browser. Add a short club name. Move and resize the label so it stays inside the tag and clear of the hanging hole.
Check: Read it at its intended physical size, not only when zoomed in.
Test and improve
Show your partner the drawing or a paper mock-up. Ask which feature they would change. Make one justified revision and save it as “Tag version 2”.
Check: Record the feedback and identify the visible change.
Keep an editable original
Use Save project for a .forma file. If a vector export is required, save first, then select the text and use Modify → Explode text to outlines. Export SVG, or DXF after preparing all text.
Check: Keep the .forma original with editable lettering, alongside any export.
03 / REFLECT
Check the design. Explain the decisions.
These ticks are temporary and are not submitted or saved. Keep your project file and written reflection as evidence.
Your design reflection
Who is the user, and which need does your design address?
What did you change after feedback, and why?
A little support
Start from a teacher-demonstrated rectangle and use a two- or three-letter label. Keep the exact dimensions on a visible board.
Take it further
Compare two hole positions. Explain how the remaining material and the attachment method influence your choice; do not assume the thinnest border will be strong enough.
FOR TEACHERS
Plan the learning, not just the clicks.
Suggested timing: 10 minutes for the brief, 25 for CAD, 10 for peer review and 10 for a revision. A coloured circle on top of a rectangle is not a cut-out; use selection order to demonstrate subtraction. If producing a physical tag, the teacher selects the material and attachment method.
Evidence to look for
Two sketches, an editable .forma file, a measured drawing and a short before/after explanation.
Suggested curriculum connection
England KS2 Design/Evaluate: user criteria, CAD communication and peer-informed improvement. KS3 extension: test against a specification. Read the England D&T programme.
For other UK nations, use the curriculum adaptation guide. Ages and timings are suggestions, not equivalences between national stages.
Teacher discussion notes
A radius of 2.5 mm gives a diameter of 5 mm. With the sample coordinates, the hole centre is 8 mm from the left edge and halfway down the tag.
Original Forma2D activity · Specialised Laser Systems · Reviewed 5 October 2026
Keep .forma files for editing. Any manufacture uses the school’s approved materials, equipment and procedures.